The Mouth

Bettas have upturned mouths, which aid the fish in surface feeding. The inside of the mouth is lined with rows of tiny pointed teeth. These teeth, in combination with powerful jaws, make tearing at prey quite easy. The mouth is perfectly designed and positioned to devour as well as to blow bubbles, one of betta fish’s favourite pass times. The mouth is lined with pointy teeth that work like a paper shredder: When betta fish latch on to each other's fins they do not let go. Actually the fins will tear and the aggressor usually leaves the scene with a nice chunk of fin in his mouth, which he then proceeds to promptly gobble up. But for all its power, the Betta fish’s mouth is also made to be incredibly gentle. When spawning, the male Betta fish will swim to the bottom of the tank, gently scoop up the eggs in its mouth and carry them safely to the bubble nest.

The Membrane, "The Beard"

Another interest trait of Betta fish is the presence of a membrane under the gill plate covers. Females have a smaller version of it, but in the male it is large enough to actually “stick out” when the gill plate are closed. This membrane can be of various colours, depending on the Betta fish’s colour. Generally, in Betta fish of dark color, blues and red, the membrane will be dark. But with light coloured Betta fish, it will often have the same colour as the body (yellow, white, clear, etc…). Marbles can be interesting as the membrane can also be marbled. The membrane is designed to make Betta fish look bigger, meaner and more threatening to his adversaries then he’s ever been. When a Betta fish sees another rival, the first thing he will do is open his fins and gill plates as large as he can (also known as “FLARING“), thus displaying the membrane, like a peacock.

Fins and Tails

When born, male and female Betta fish all look alike, with tiny, short fins that one cannot see with the naked eye. It is only around the 8th week that some of the faster growing fry will start exhibiting a longer anal fin. Soon, the males will stand out because their fins, (anal, dorsal and caudal) will keep growing and become, in comparison, much longer than those of their sisters. Females’ fins only grow so much which soon stop developing, leaving the female with a "short hair cut" look. On the other hand, the males’ fin will keep growing throughout the Betta fish's life. If one would cut the fins, one would soon see them start to grow back. Gradually, as Betta fish’s fins get longer and heavier, the fish becomes more and more sluggish. It may be hard for them to steer and maneuver with all this excess baggage. Over activity or sometimes bacterial diseases will give Betta fish a quick "hair cut": The fins (which are only a few cells thick) will tear and fall off (also called "blowing a tail"). This will usually rejuvenate Betta fish and he might become once again active. One of the biggest problems with Halfmoon Betta fish (who have the largest, heaviest and most majestic caudal) is that they “blow” their tails most easily, meaning that the tail will literally fall apart. Once blown, the tail will never be the same, it will grow back, but some discoloration or unevenness will occur. When spawning, the fins usually get damaged, in both female and male.

The Labyrinth

Being an anabantids, Betta fish have a labyrinth organ in their heads that allows them to take oxygen directly from the atmosphere in addition to the oxygen taken from water. The “Labyrinth” is an accessory respiratory organ located in the gill chamber alongside and above the normal gills. It is composed of bony plates covered by a membrane through which the venous blood flows. By gaseous exchange, passing through the labyrinth organ, the oxygen content is passed immediately into the blood stream, and then the used air is expelled. Because only small amounts of air can be stored into the labyrinth, Betta fish must make frequent trips to the surface to replenish it. This is why you will see your Betta fish regularly going back up to the surface of his bowl to take a gulp of air. The labyrinth allows Betta fish to survive in oxygen deprived environments, such as small bowls, and to also survive outside of water for what seems a long period of time. Betta fish is sometimes found on the floor, having jumped out of their bowl, and after lying on the carpet for quite some time, come right back to life when returned to their water. Betta fish must have access to the water surface to breath air directly from the atmosphere. In experiments where the labyrinth organ was removed, the fish died from suffocation even though the water was saturated with oxygen.

Internal Organs

Betta fish's body may measure up to 3 inches in length. However you might be surprised to know that everything is crammed in the first third (behind the head) of the body while not much is happening past that point and all the way to the peduncle. (other than the spine and swimbladder). Brain, heart, stomach, guts, liver, spleen, and all the other useful gadgets seem to lodge comfortably in the “belly” area, all well packed between the head and the beginning of the anal fin. Right there you will find the Betta fish’s anus. The other half of Betta fish’s body is nothing more than flesh, spine and swimbladder. The swimbladder is an interesting organ, which looks like a long clear balloon stretching along the spine. One can easily see it when looking at young fry. The organ grows and elongates as the betta fish grows. If the swimbladder fails to grow, to match the betta fish’s body size, then the betta fish will have what is called “swimbladder disease”, which will cause him to swim vertically or to slide on the bottom of tank on his belly.

Differentiate Male and Female Betta Fish

Male Betta fish generally have longer fins and brighter coloured than females. They also have a more distinct “beard” and are overall larger than the females. Female Betta fish will have an “egg spot” aka the ovipositor tube, when they’re older than 4 months. The egg spot is a good way to identify a female and tell her apart from a young male. The egg spot is a white dot, located near the base of the ventrals. It is from this egg spot that eggs will be released by the female during spawning. Another way to tell males from females is to put the new Betta fish in a flat sided container and place it next to the tank of another male. If it flares up at the site of the other male Betta, then it is a male. If on the other hand, it suddenly shows vertical stripes, then it is female.

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